Wednesday, 12 March 2014

The Paddington Novotel Hotel Review

Recently Luke and I were invited to stay at the Paddington Novotel Hotel, it was a weekend that we were really looking forward to. Leo was staying with his Granny and we were off on an exciting weekend in London, just Luke and I. It was all planned out and we were going to be visiting a few attractions on the Saturday and then squeezing some more in on the Sunday before we hopped on a train back to reality. As with everything though, sometimes plans don’t go as they are supposed to. A couple of days before our trip, I came down with a virus. I was full of cold, I ached from head to foot and I was going from hot to cold. I was determined that this wouldn't stop us from visiting and dosed myself up with everything that I could take. On the morning of our weekend away I noticed that I was now suffering with a pain in my ear. A pain that could mean only one thing… There was a potential ear infection on the way.

We traveled to London by train and decided that as it was a special occasion we would treat ourselves to the First Class experience. Upon arrival at Paddington Station we decided that our first port of call would be the hotel, so that we could drop off our suitcases and head out into London for the day. We knew that the Novotel Hotel was within walking distance to the hotel so we took the short stroll. The location of the hotel for me was the first aspect that I loved, it gave us the flexibility and the means to get all over London using the Tubes and saved us on Taxi fares. It took us around 5 minutes to walk to the hotel from the station and even with luggage this wasn't a hardship.

Upon arrival at the hotel the reception team were very welcoming, took our names and advised us that our room was not quite ready just yet. They offered to take our bags and locked them away securely in a cupboard close to the reception desk. They wished us a good day and told us that when we returned our room would be ready.

With our bags safely locked away at the hotel, we were looking forward to visiting the London Dungeons, we took the short walk back to Paddington Station and hopped on the tube. The London Dungeons are a short tube journey on the Bakerloo line to Waterloo. Once at Waterloo there is a great array of different things to do, from the London Eye, the Aquarium and of course the Dungeons. Around this area alone there plenty of cafes and places to grab a bite to eat, so it is very easy to spend an entire day there.

With me dosed up on Paracetamol we thoroughly enjoyed the Dungeons, it took us a few hours going around and we were suitable jumpy by the end. I even got picked out and put in a cage at one point during the tour! After the tour ended I was starting to feel the effects of the pain relief wearing off, and we decided to head back to the hotel so I could have a rest. The room was now ready and reception happily directed us on how to find our room. We were in an Executive room and used the lift to get up onto the correct floor, it was easy to find thanks to the clear instructions and the readily available room numbers labelled on each door.

We entered our Executive Room and were really pleased with the amenities available to us. Novotel had thought of everything and there was even the facility to plug in your MP3 Player and enjoy your own music. The first thing I found was the dressing gown and slippers that had been laid out on our bed, I slipped it on and collapsed on the bed and planned on an immediate nap.

The Executive rooms offer lots of space with a Queen sized bed, they have an en suite equipped with both a bath and shower. There is a sofa bed in the lounge area, a desk so that if you are away on business you can get on with your work in comfort. Each room has a 26" LCD television with pay movies and internet access. Under the desk you will find the hair dryer and over by the door there is a mini fridge.

You will also find:

- Tea and Coffee making facilities. Including a Coffee machine.

- iPod Docking Station

- Extra Bathroom Amenities

- Bathrobe & Slippers

- Complimentary Internet Access

Our room was clean and well kept and we even got a call from the on duty manager to make sure that everything was ok with the room. I thought this was a lovely touch and was really impressed with the attention to detail and guest care.

We had planned to go out for dinner and make the most of the London nightlife but with my ear pain getting increasingly worse, I soon found myself tucked up in bed with the television and ordering a take away. I was really disappointed that I couldn't follow through with our plans to visit the Ice Bar and have a few drinks with Luke, but feeling as horrid as I did... The only place for me was tucked up in bed feeling sorry for myself.

I found the bed comfortable and aside from waking when my paracetamol wore off, we had a very comfortable stay. We were booked in for breakfast but come the morning I really didn't feel like eating, so unfortunately I cannot tell you about the breakfast. But if it is anything like the service we received throughout the rest of our stay, I have high expectations for it!

Our original plan was to make the very most of our Sunday in London, we were going to see some more sights and make use of the hotels central location. Luke wanted to visit the Natural History Museum and we were going to find a lovely restaurant for some lunch. But of course the plans changed when the paracetamol no longer touched the pain in my ear.. So we found ourselves on the train home so I could head back to bed again..

Aside from my being poorly we had a lovely stay at the Paddington Novotel, I found the hotel fresh and modern with attentive staff. I loved the location as it was so central to everywhere we wanted to go, it meant we didn't have to worry about taxi's and just tubed it all over London.

I will definitely be staying with Novotel again, and I will be making up for feeling so poorly during our visit at the next available opportunity.

Disclaimer: We were invited along to the Paddington Novotel and provided with complimentary accommodation. All views and opinions are completely honest and my own.